It’s no secret that getting customers to buy our products and services is one of the most difficult tasks for all business owners. If you want to increase your sales, then so does everyone else! Here are 21 ways that you can do just that in 2022 and beyond.
1. Encourage referrals
Referrals are one of the most powerful ways to get more sales in your business, especially if you are not a big player in your industry. You can do this in many ways, but let’s focus on 3 creative ideas that will really help your business.
- Offer bonus points or rewards to current customers if they refer someone new to you who purchases a product or service from you, and that referral completely pays for itself. (Then give another reward when this happens again.
If a customer refers you to 100 people, and each completely pays for themselves, then you should be offering something such as free product or service. Make it worth their while – much like a credit card rewards program works.)
- Provide customers with convenient opportunities to refer others to you. Do this in your e-mail or annual report newsletter (which is nothing more than a status update anyway).
You could also do it on your website or by having flyers available at events and local businesses.
- Don’t be afraid to reward customers for referring you.
2. Engage your customers
Everyone keeps a shopping list (or wish list) as long as they have one, so make yours a great resource! If someone comes into your business with no money to spend, then they don’t have any idea what they need or want.
Give them the opportunity to tell you what they want and you will be surprised by the great products they recommend.
3. Get your customers excited about using new products and services!
People love to show off what they have, and know that other people will value it too. So don’t be afraid to share great ideas and products with your customers.
Not only will you score some of the “I told you so” points, but you will give them something new for them to talk about at their next social or business meeting.
4. Be creative with your ideas
Innovate and be creative with your ideas. Did you know that over 50% of the products in the market do not sell well?
Get some of these close to even or slightly below your normal selling price, then see how excited customers are about them when you mark them down!
Take a look at your competitors and see what they are doing wrong. Then take your own ideas and do what they don’t.
5. Encourage repeat business
You don’t have to wait until they first use your product or service to encourage them to come back again. You can do this by offering them a free additional item or service that they can use for the next visit.
Have them come back for a $500 service, and then offer to clean their car’s interior for them as well.
6. Offer special “teaser” discounts
Offer special “teaser” discounts that are either very limited time or limited quantities. There is nothing like an incredibly low price to get people into your business at least once (if not more).
If they purchase the product or service, then provide the coupon for another discount. You can also offer a unique type of service or product that you think your customers will really enjoy.
7. Give customers a chance to try something without making them invest in it
Offer easy and quick “try before you buy” options for your products and services. For example: If you sell knives, then offer a free backyard chicken coop that everyone can use to try knives before they purchase one.
If you sell food and drink, then offer tasting samples from your products. If you sell services, then offer a free 15-minute consultation on a product or service of your choice (perhaps even for something you don’t really do).
8. Give customers special “customer of the month” (or year) awards
Give customers special “customer of the month” (or year) awards. This is another easy way to boost sales and give them bragging rights. You can even do this after a certain amount of time has passed.
Many people love receiving little gifts or surprises. Of course, you’ll need to have some type of special “prize” for this as well.
9. Get customers excited to tell others about your business!
Your customers will go out of their way to tell others about your business if you make them feel special.
One great way to do this is to offer them a free gift or something else special if they refer a friend.
Just make sure that the free gift isn’t something that can easily be shared (such as a subscription service). Give everyone something special.
10. Pay attention to details
Give great service and pay attention to the details (even if your business is less personal than others). This will have a huge impact on your customers’ perception of your business and how they feel about you.
This is a great way to make customers come back again, and to keep them coming back.
11. Have something that everyone wants!
Most things can be bought and sold – but some things have so much value that they can only be experienced. Be sure that this is what you are offering to give your customers, and you will be surprised at how well it sells.
12. Differentiate your product or service
It’s hard to compete with huge companies that offer the same things, but it’s easier to make a customer choose you over someone else if they feel like they have nothing else to do or buy.
If you have something that’s different, then cater to people who want to see the difference (such as using a special ingredient instead of a similar one).
13. Encourage your customers to give you feedback
Encourage your customers to give you feedback and share their experiences with you. This will go a long way towards getting them to return and purchase from you again – and encourage them to spread the word!
14. Re-price your products
Re-price your products so that they are less expensive than what your competitors are charging for the same or similar product.
This is called “price anchoring” and it will drive up sales. In other words, the idea is to make your customers think that a product or service is too expensive when compared to others in the market.
We know it sounds counterintuitive, but research has proven that this type of thinking creates an emotional response in customers and they become likely to buy more expensive products or services.
15. Work smarter, not harder!
Make sure you are spending your money wisely along the way and get rid of anything that isn’t adding value (or even costing you money).
It’s better to do a few things really well than to try and do everything on your own. There is a good chance you will be able to get away with outsourcing the things that you don’t enjoy doing.
16. Get reviews (and ask for them!)
Customer reviews are powerful in getting new customers, especially when they consistently show up as a search result on Google!
Asking for them is even better as it gives them some great social proof. If you want them, then ask for them! And keep doing it to get as many as possible.
17. Create premium content
Be sure that you are consistently creating content that’s interesting and helpful to your target audience.
The more content you create, the more opportunities that you will have to get your message out and make people feel like they should buy from you (and they will share it!).
The best type of content is the kind that helps your target audience solve a problem or save money in some way.
18. Encourage your customers to promote you on social media
Encourage your customers to share and discuss your products or services on social media.
Getting your message out in front of people is one of the best ways that you can get more customers.
If you get enough people to discuss or review your products and services, then people will come up with their own ways to help others improve their financial lives as well.
19. Invest in online marketing
Integrate your company with other online marketing strategies that are already working for you (such as Google AdWords).
Integrating your business with other online marketing strategies will help you get your message out in front of people and will also help you to offer more value.
For example: You can use Google AdWords to drive customers to you, and then use content marketing to offer them something for free or for a lower price.
20. Outdo your competitors
Offer something of higher value than what your competitors are offering, even if it costs more money.
Offer has a higher perceived value than the competitors’. You can do this by using a coupon code or some other kind of offer that saves the customer money while giving them something extra as well.
21. Make your customers feel special
Make your customers feel special that they are interacting with you and that they have made their first purchase.
Humans are social creatures, and we’re all much more likely to return to places where we feel like we’re doing something of value (or even doing nothing at all).
If you can make your business a welcoming place, then you’ll have a lot of more repeat visitors and customers as well, which will increase your sales even further.
